Fly Away
by darkest star
Summary: My take on what the Star Wars story would be like in this time and in this galaxy. Follows the basic SW storyline and retains the characters' personalities with some name changes.
1. Chapter One

Okay, don't roll your eyes at my idea *right* away...this is my version of Star Wars set in modern times. Here's a character summary to get started: 

Luke Walker-a boy on the edge of manhood who lives with his aunt and uncle, Beryl and Owen Lars, on a farm on the outskirts of a small Kentucky town. 

Leila Orlando-A young woman who was orphaned at birth and now lives in with Bailey Orlando and his wife in Philadelphia, the man and woman she has known as parents all her life. 

Hans Sol-a drug smuggler from New York caught in a struggle between right and wrong.   
  
Andrew Walker-aka Darcy Victor-Luke's father, who was a police officer but eventually became loan shark and now resides in Chicago.   
  
Juan Kendobi-A mysterious ex-cop who retired for unknown reasons and now lives near Luke in Kentucky.   


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"Leila?" Jane Orlando opened the door to her daughter's room a small crack and stuck her head in. "Go to bed soon, okay honey?" She pushed a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. 

"Okay, Mom," Leila said absently, absorbed in the book she was reading. She lay on her back on her bed, her head propped up against two pillows, and her long brown hair cascading down her shoulders. 

Jane sighed softly and rolled her eyes upwards. "If you're going to bury yourself in that book all night, at least turn the light on." She reached her arm through the crack in the door and flicked a switch. Leila squinted her eyes, adjusting to the change, then let out a small groan. 

"I'm fine, Mom." 

Jane sighed. "I'm sorry to baby you so much, it's just that..." She paused, opening the door wide enough for her to step inside the room. "It's just that your father and I are just so glad you decided to stay at home for college." 

Leila shook her head impatiently, then placed the book face down on her lap. "For this year," she said. "That's all I'm promising." 

"I know," said Jane softly. She stood there a few moments in silence, just taking in the sight of her daughter. She was so beautiful, always so glowing. Mother and daughter shared the same brown hair and the same brown eyes, but there was something different about Leila's eyes. It was the only tell-tale sign that Leila wasn't Jane's biological child. 

"Mom?" 

Jane's thoughts were interrupted by her daughter's voice. She gave Leila a half smile. "Good night," she said finally. 

"Good morning," Leila corrected, jerking her head towards the alarm clock that stood on the end table next to her bed. 2:42 A.M. 

Jane nodded. "Like I said, get some sleep." She backed out of the room, flicking the light switch and shutting the door softly behind her. 

"Parents," Leila said to herself as she flipped her book over and began reading again. 

Over an hour passed before Leila began to get sleepy. Her eyes felt heavy, and it got harder and harder for her to keep them open and to concentrate on her book. Eventully, her lids shut. The book fell limp from her hands, and her head drooped to the side on her pillow. She fell into a light sleep, tossing and turning, uneasy about something. Suddenly, she awoke with a start and sat straight up in her bed. 

"What was that noise?" she asked herself aloud, her voice trembling slightly. She turned her head towards her doorway, outside of which she could hear a steady thumping. She stared, at first in curiosity, but then in horror as she saw her doorknob turning slowly. Not knowing what to do, she jumped out of her bed and onto the floor. She got down on her hands and knees and tried to crawl under the bed, but she knew it was hopeless. The door creaked open, and within seconds the footsteps were right behind her. She clenched onto the carpet beneath her bed, but a gloved hand grabbed on to her ankle. Someone strong pulled her out backwards, and she lay there on the floor, flat on her stomach. She felt something cold pressed to the back of her head. 

"If you scream," said a deep, haunting voice, "I will shoot you. Show me that you understand." 

Leila nodded, too scared now to cry. 

"Good," said the voice. "Take the gun," he said to someone else. The voice spoke once more to her. "Do you know what I'm going to do now?" he asked in a near hiss. Leila gulped in fear and closed her eyes tightly. _Not this, _she thought to herself. _Anything but this. _

"No," said the voice, removing his hand from her ankle. "Not now," as if he had read her mind. "Pick her up," he commanded the other. "And keep it down. We can't wake mommy and daddy." 

  


  


  



	2. Chapter Two

Leila woke up and opened her eyes slowly. Her head was pounding; it had obviously received a blow sometime within the past few hours. Once her eyes were fully open, she blinked hard once, trying to see her surroundings, but the only thing she could detect was complete and utter darkness. She groaned as she sat up from her completely horizontal position on the floor. She placed both hands on the ground behind her and leaned back on them for a few seconds. Under her right hand, she could feel a cushion. She pushed herself up wearily, her feet hitting the cold metal floor with full force. The temperature of the floor, as well as the chilly air around her, sent a shudder through her body. She crossed her arms over one another. 

"Where am I?" she wondered aloud to herself. 

"Hell." 

Leila's heart jumped into her throat at the sound of that voice. She stumbled backwards and bumped into what she assumed to be a chair. 

"My apologies, Miss Orlando. Did I frighten you?" He chuckled. 

"I'm as good as blind in here," Leila managed to mutter through her fear. "At least turn on the light." 

His reply came in a purr. "No, I think I'd like to keep it off." Footsteps. Those rhythmic footsteps she had heard entering her room. Her body tensed as she felt his firm grasp on her arm, and she flinched as his thumb came to rest over a gash in her flesh. "Sometimes I like to see how animals manage without the use of their eyes," he continued. He began to brush her wound with his thumb. "I like to see their other senses put to use." He released his hold on her arm and walked behind her. Within seconds, there was a blindfold over her eyes. She shut them tightly as she felt the knot tied behind her head. The fabric was warm and slightly wet. Tears of fright and frustration pushed their way through Leila's lids and dampened the blindfold further. 

"Just in case," he whispered, adding that despicable chuckle to his statement. "Anyway. These animals. They have to use their other senses, as I said. Like their sense of smell." She felt her body heat rise to her neck and cheeks as he pressed his nose against her hair and inhaled. She stood perfectly still, even when she felt his hot breath in his ear as he whispered, "Their sense of hearing." He paused. She could feel him draw back slightly. "Their sense of taste." He placed his forfinger on her lips and pried them open. He quickly slid his finger along the edge of her tongue, then took it back again. She frowned in disgust, the taste of sweat and mud lingering in her mouth. She wanted to spit on the ground, at his feet, but she controlled herself out of fear and forced herself to listen to his voice. "And touch." She heard a soft chime, and then cried out in pain as he deepened the cut in her arm, slowly sliding a knife through her flesh, and then withdrawing it again. 

"Are you learning yet?" he asked softly. She opened her eyes under the blindfold, releasing more tears that remained trapped behind the blindfold, stinging her eyeballs. "Are you learning yet?" he repeated, placing emphasis on each word. She would not reply. She couldn't. "You're waiting for me to yell, aren't you?" he asked her. She heard his footsteps as he circled her again. He stopped directly in front of her. "Well I won't. At least not now. Trust me, Miss Orlando." He placed his hands on her shoulders and flung towards the chair. She bumped up against it, but without her sense of balance, she fell straight to the floor. He continued. "You'll never know what to expect from me. I know what information you hold about what I do. I assure you, you won't escape with it." He gave her a small kick, and she drew in her breath harshly in pain. After a few seconds, she heard the sound of his footsteps grow fainter, followed by a door being opened and then shut very quietly once again. 


	3. Chapter Three

Owen Lars slammed the phone down on the receiver angrily. He growled as he walked from behind a counter to a small window. He bent slightly and gave a shove, using his full force to open it. "Needed some air in here," he said to himself, nodding his head. Just as he did so, his nephew, Luke, rushed through the front door of the building. 

"Will you tell me why it's so damn hot in here?!" Luke exclaimed breathlessly. Immediately, he turned to a window on the other side of the door and opened it. He brushed his sandy bangs out of his eyes only to have them fall again, more disheveled than before, and blew out a breath. 

"The air conditioner's broken again," replied Owen grimly. 

"Well, can't it be fixed?" 

"No, Luke," his uncle said impatiently. "I'm stuck working in this hellhole..." 

"Managing," interjected Luke. 

"Managing this hellhole..." Owen paused to give Luke an annoyed glare. "...and there's nothing I can do about the AC right now." 

"Fine by me," said Luke, widening his eyes dramatically. He was tired of his uncle's grumpy nature as of late. "It's not my business." He looked around the small video store. The paint on the white walls was peeling, and had faded to a dingy yellow in some places. The store was completely empty except for the two of them. Actually, it looked more like an ugly old house that had been for sale too long; hot, smelly, and forgotten. 

"It will be your business when you're an adult if you don't start working harder!" Owen scolded, raising his voice slightly. 

"Are you saying that YOU didn't work hard enough?" By now, Luke was beginning to lose his temper. And Luke Walker never, *ever* let someone else win in an insult war when he lost his temper. 

"I worked as hard as I could, I just ran into some insurance problems." Owen looked to the ground and dropped his voice slightly. "And after the robbery...well, you know what happened after that." 

"Yeah," said Luke quietly. He wrinkled his brow for a few seconds, as if in thought. "That's why I have to go to college. So I can get a full education and increase my chances of getting a good job. Then I'll be able to make enough money for myself, along with you and Aunt Beryl, and you'll have to try hard to convince yourself that there ever was a robbery." 

Owen fidgeted uncomfortably, keeping his eyes to the ground. "You can't go this year," he said under his breath. 

"What?!" 

"I need you here," said Owen, raising his eyes to look at Luke. His nephew couldn't help but feel a small amount of pity for him, even though he knew that his uncle didn't want pity. He was getting old, and it showed in his face. His gray eyes had lost their sparkle, and his skin was dark and weathered from many years of work. His black hair, pinned down from sweat, hadn't been combed all day. Luke sighed. 

"I'm sorry, Luke. It would just be better if you didn't go anywhere for the time being." 

"If I don't go anywhere now, I'll never get anywhere! You have to stop holding me   
back from what I want to do! I'm not a child anymore." He pounded his fist on the counter. And looked at his uncle, trying to stare a reply out of him. All he got was silence and an apologetic look from his uncle. 

Owen took a breath. "Just go home," he said, waving his hand in the air. Luke's shoulders dropped and he walked behind the counter to place a hand on his uncle's shoulder for a moment before passing him by. He walked to a small rack of video games and picked one up, holding it towards Owen. 

"You mind?" he asked. 

No. After all, I am the manager of this hell hole." They both smiled at Owen's remark. "I just got that one in. I don't usually take 'em used, but this woman offered such a great price. I can't figure out why she was coming through here, but she said she was from Philadelphia. Something awfully strange about her. I'm not one to judge peoples' feelings, but she seemed awfully sad to me." He shrugged, and Luke made no reply, but nodded and headed out the door. 

  


  


  



End file.
